51Bruce Irvin OLB

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Seahawks LB Bruce Irvin: 'I would love to be in Seattle'

by Elliott Smith | Staff Writer

Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin, who in May said that he was going to play for the Falcons after his contract runs out, told NFL.com during a football camp Saturday that he "would love to be in Seattle."

The Seahawks did not pick up Irwin's option, preferring to wait until after the upcoming season to discuss a new deal, which did not sit well with the linebacker. However, he appeared to soften his stance when asked about his football future.

"I have one year left. I would love to be in Seattle. That was the team that gave me a chance when nobody else did," Irvin said. "A lot of people told me I wasn't a first-round pick, but Pete (Carroll) and (general manager) John Schneider took a chance on me, so like I said I would love to be there, but I'm just going to go out here, I've been working my butt off, I'm going to go out here and have the biggest year of my career next year."

It behooves Irwin to play at a high level, since he would likely command a big payday on the open market as a free agent.

Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin will become an unrestricted free agent in 2016 after the team decided not to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract for the 2016 season, reports the Seattle Times.

The Seahawks would've owed Irvin $7.8 million had they picked up the option. Despite not picking up the option, coach Pete Carroll had previously said Irvin is in the team's long-term plans.

"If we pick up Bruce's option it's a great thing, if we don't pick up Bruce's option it only means we aren't picking it up... We want him to be here for a long time," Carroll said.